


A Very Bury Holiday: Part One

by avigil



Series: ashes to ashes, blood to dust companion fics [2]
Category: Original Campaign - Fandom, Original Work, Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre: AU kinda sorta, Borderline crackfic, Brujah (Vampire: The Masquerade), Collection of one shots, F/M, Gangrel (Vampire: The Masquerade), Gen, Holiday one shots, Nosferatu (Vampire: The Masquerade), Original Campaign, Original Characters - Freeform, Original work - Freeform, Other, Thanksgiving Dinner, the only original character of mine is Nephra, this is how I cope with the actual campaign, this will make no sense to anyone but the players, wholesome family fun with vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 04:56:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16804051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avigil/pseuds/avigil
Summary: The Bury gang spends thanksgiving together, all very much alive and happy.





	A Very Bury Holiday: Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skylamps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skylamps/gifts).



Felix had only been up and about for a little while now, and already he could tell something was amiss. 

Having found his kitchen completely empty at a particularly inopportune time, seeing as there was bound to be people swarming to Bury’s singular King Soopers with last minute shopping and with less than an hour of sunlight, he had resolved himself to a grocery run he wasn’t too pleased to go on. Now the sky was dark and inky, horizon dancing with a grassfire far off in the distance. He just wanted to get the microwave dinners in the fridge and be done with it, and the smell of smoke and cold front blowing in made him want to return to his little hovel even more. For a fleeting moment he wondered if he should be worried about his new, mostly nocturnal, lifestyle only to be jostled from it by a familiar sight- a familiar car to be exact.  
A white muscle car, glimmering like a pearl outside his shop. “Ah, fuck. Here we go again.” Now he stood on his own doorstep, afraid of what he would have to do when he went in. 

The man who used to be Michael Knight usually only rolled around when shit hit the fan, or so past experiences would dictate. The door jingled when he opened it, a strange sort of faux welcoming.  
“Nephra? I’m back, you up?”  
The sound of clattering dishes made him freeze in place for a moment, but the tone with which he heard his new partner swear dissipated it quickly. There was a gleeful ring to it he didn’t think he had heard before. “Oh… shit! Yeah… I’m in here. Wait!”  
And then, with inhuman speed, Nephra was in the doorway to his meager kitchen with an enormous grin on her face and something that looked like flour or powdered sugar smeared on her left cheek just below her eye. “I didn’t realize you’d be back so quick! It’s a surprise!”  
Felix chuckled softly. “I was gone for like 45 minutes, you know.” He then sighed. “The old man’s car is outside. Is he here?”  
Her telltale guilt face surfaced. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t tell you or it would ruin the surprise. I needed a favor and he’s…”  
“Helping.” The pair both jumped at the sudden sound of a third, rumbling voice from back in the kitchen. Nephra slid aside, and the world-worn hunter was quickly in her place, a dark apron tied around his waist and a mixing bowl in one hand. Felix suppressed a laugh at the sight.  
“What’s going on here?”  
Murdoc said nothing, but his adoptive daughter was bouncing around like an overly excited rubber ball. “It’s thanksgiving!”  
Felix had known this, but with a lack of desire to celebrate holidays alone in the past came an apathy towards the approaching date. He hadn’t given it any thought. “Are you…”  
“Dinner! Yeah, we’re making a huge spread it’s gonna be fucking awesome!” Nephra’s glowing eyes were like hot coals, smouldering with a bright excitement.  
Felix’s eyebrows shot up. Surely enough if he leaned to look past Murdoc’s imposing frame he could see the monumental mess that had become of his kitchen. 

The sink was full of dirty bowls, cutting boards and blackened pans, and the rarely-used oven was glowing like Nephra’s eyes. It was clearly stuffed tight with an array of cooking dishes, some balanced inside at an angle that was surely a fire hazard. The floor, which had taken on a dark brown color thanks to an enormous blood stain, now had a sheen of gravy that he could only guess had sloshed onto it when he arrived. “Where did you get all this?!” He knew full well that neither of them had the money for something like this.  
“Pulled some strings.” Murdoc grumbled before she could answer. “Not hard, really” His forest-green eyes were no longer locked on the young ghoul, but rather what looked like icing in his mixing bowl. The whisk ground harshly against the metal bottom, but he himself looked as serene as Felix had ever seen him. It was like he was far away, living out a memory rather than living in that moment with them. His boots were heavy and loud as he made his way back into the kitchen, and for a minute it sounded like he was humming. 

“ So! What do you think!” Nephra bounced excitedly out of his peripheral vision. He couldn’t keep the sad smile off his mouth.  
“Neph, this is…amazing… but you can’t…”  
“I know, I know… on a blood only diet, I can’t eat any unless I wanna puke my guts out.”  
Her hands were ice cold on his cheeks, but as gentle as she could force them to be. “You can, though!”  
“I… oh…” A surprise… a surprise for you…  
“Everything’s been so fucked lately, and I figure playing human for a little bit would make us both feel better.”  
Her eyes drifted to Murdoc in the kitchen. “All of us, I mean”.  
In all honesty, Felix wasn’t thrilled to see the ex-hunter. The guy had caused him enough stress for an immortal lifetime. Despite that, he was useful when he wanted to be and seemed to be willing to bend over backwards to make Nephra happy…  
“Yeah, that sounds… fun.” 

At the sight of his soft smile, she squealed.  
The hug she threw around him was crushing, quite literally so, but her glee was infectious.  
“Just the three of us?”  
“Unless you want company?”  
—————————————————————————

“Done!” Murdoc’s voice came from the kitchen, staring at the slightly ajar oven door as a small cloud of black smoke accumulated around him. He didn’t need to turn around to tell that Nephra was rounding the corner as her bare feet slapped loudly on the tile.  
“ SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!”  
The green bean casserole and potatoes looked alright, albeit a little too crispy, but the aluminum pan of Cornish game hens didn’t appear so lucky.

Nephra threw the door open, disregarding Murdoc’s near-silent “careful”, and reached in with two bare hands to grab the oven’s contents.  
“FUCK fUCK FUck.”  
“Language.” After two pans, he gave a disappointed sigh and muscled his way in, this time with oven mitts on his calloused hands. 

In the next room, Felix had cleared a table as best he could, checking the underside for forgotten sigils, and had gathered as many chairs from around the house as he could find (which wasn’t many). Nephra had purchased as bundle of plastic flowers which looked like they were meant to be yellow and red roses to place at the center of the table, and had decorated with a spool of black and orange streamers he was certain were meant for Halloween. He couldn’t keep the smirk from his face at the sight, especially after watching her hastily set it all up. It was clear by the tremble in her hands she was eager to finish the preparations.  
“INCOMING!”  
His heart dropped at the sight of her carrying far too many dishes to the table at once, all stacked in a tower and hoisted above her head. When he reached out to assist, she hissed “They’re hot!”  
Once her precious cargo had been delivered to the table, she spun on her heel with her reddened hands folded up into finger guns. “I got this!” 

The longer he stood there, the more food seemed to appear out of nowhere.  
The unrecognizable-yet-very-green casserole, the over-roasted potatoes, the burnt game hens…  
A glass dish full of half-cold sweet potatoes with too much powdered sugar on top…  
Cranberry sauce still in the shape of the can…  
A cake that looked more like a amorphous lump with a generous smearing of icing.  
The most expensive of it all had to be the four glass bottles she slung on the table beside the flowers, two being wine and two being sparkling apple cider.  
Felix silently wondered how much of this had been Murdoc and how much had been Nephra. 

“I’m missing something… what am I missing?”  
Before she could finish the thought, the door swung open sharply. Elmar,, dressed in an odd maroon dress shirt no one had ever seen him in before, raised his arms in a loud greeting only to recoil at the sound of the door hitting the wall behind it. He had in each hand a 2 liter Pepsi bottle that appeared to be full of the good red stuff.  
“WHAAAAZZZZZzzzzOH! Oh! Yeesh. Sorry. WHAAAAZZZZZZAAAAAAAPPP”  
“There you are! I thought I told you to be here like an hour ago!”  
“Hey hey! This stuff ain’t easy to get, and I ain’t a teleporter! The trusty van only goes so fast!”  
“Yeah well, come on! Did you bring him?”  
Elmar rolled his one eye. “He didn’t want to, but I convinced him.”  
“What does that mean!? I just wanted you to ASK! Not force him along!”  
“EEEEeeey I did ask! And he’s here!” 

Felix’s nose wrinkled at the sight of a still dripping wet October appearing on the doorstep, having apparently dragged his feet walking up from the curb where Elmar parked his van.  
“Hey October.” Nephra sounded remorseful.  
October sullenly waved back, shaking out his hair before entering the shop. The unimposing gangrel didn’t look happy to be out of his seal den, but she was relieved he waved. 

“We still waiting on people?”  
“Texted Sophia, she’ll be here with Kyrian soon.” Murdoc replied, his voice accompanied by the sound of a beer can popping open. “Told them to be discreet about it, family only.”  
Nephra’s eyes lit up at the word “family”. 

—————————————————————————

Nobody asked Murdoc to carve up the game hens, especially not with their size, but he did anyway.  
And with his large combat knife, no less. 

Elmar doled out blood in dixie cups, much to the chagrin of every kindred in the room, but nobody asked where he had gotten it and they all drank it unceremoniously while pushing untouched food around their plates. Any attempt to refuse a full plate was met with sharp brujah-characteristic anger, and at one point Nephra looked like she might crack Elmer over the head with a glass casserole dish. She was hellbent on inclusion, even if it were by force. The mask-clad nosferatu seemed particularly pleased with his own contribution, and made it known to all present as Nephra served everyone. 

Felix snuck away to the bathroom to run a brush through his hair, and returned wearing a clean flannel to replace his slept-in t-shirt. When he returned, Murdoc was already in his second plate and made it a point to look sharply between him, his plate, and Nephra as if wordless trying to tell him to eat and have only compliments ready. Normal dad behavior, but turned up to eleven. He also did his best to not stare at October, who had taken up residence under the table rather than beside them all, perhaps to avoid Nephra’s festive rage. 

The meat was burnt, as they all knew it would be, but it could’ve been much worse. Murdoc had taken all the drumsticks for himself, and was making a spectacle out of sucking the meat off the bone. In the end, Felix found himself eating the majority of the potatoes, as the soft cubes were the least burnt and most palatable thing on the table. The sight of fried onions, cream of mushroom and green shreds was particularly upsetting, but he swirled the pile on his plate around for good measure.  
Nephra looked sadly down at her plate, knowing she could eat and regret it later, but instead watched Felix eat his in the most non creepy way she could manage. She was clearly eager for a response.  
“It’s good you know.” Felix’s eyes darted fleetingly toward a a sharp-eyed Murdoc.  
Nephra was indeed very proud of herself, as cooking was something she was certain she had never ever been good at. 

“So old man, got any fun stories hehe?” Elmar asked while making a pyramid of sweet potato mash. Murdoc frowned at being address in such a way, but softened when Nephra chimed in. “Yeah! Storytime!”  
He only let old man slide when it came from her.  
I’m not that old! Barring the kid and the ghoul, I’m probably the youngest in this room. The assumption made him chuckle. Well one of the younger ones I suppose.  
“Well one time we busted a meth lab in someone’s basement, got a tip on a guy from a neighbor..”  
The room erupted in a chorus of groans. 

—————————————————————————

The night had been going so well, and Nephra was so proud of herself.  
For a mostly kindred party, it was surprisingly light and civil as Murdoc reminisced to nobody in particular and Felix quietly sipped wine, watching Elmar’s tower of potatoes grow exponentially higher. At one point Nephra’s hand found his beneath the table, and her fingers caught his in a reassuring grip. 

“...I mean come on, it’s one thing to be a tweaker but this guy… so naturally a shootout ensued… and you know that’s just not something you put in a report…” 

Kyrian came in first, slumping against the wall and giving Nephra a placid wave and half smile.  
“Hey! There you are! Where’s…..”  
“I’m HERE!” Sofia’s voice was shrill as it echoed through the shop. “And I’ve got BOOZE” 

“Uh oh.” Felix and Nephra sighed in unison. 

Sofia seemed to have skipped the holiday at hand completely and was very much ready for Christmas, dressed in vibrant reds and greens and golds.  
“Well there you are! Glad to see you taking time for self care, Mr. Murdoc.” The crate of assorted liquor chimed with clinking glass as she slammed it on the table before them. “I don’t see why we didn’t have this little soiree at my place, but nothing says happy holidays like…”  
Her critical eyes danced over the plastic flowers and streamers, pausing on Nephra’s leggings-and-hoodie look. “You know, if you ever decide you need something more than the three hoodies you wear…”  
“How ‘bout a toast!” Elmar swooped in, holding his empty dixie cup aloft. Felix cleared his throat and led the charge,holding up his mug of wine, and soon they all joined in. October even peered out from under the table, holding out a fork to toast with.  
“To uh…” Elmar’s eye drifted to the ceiling in thought.

“To not getting murdered in our sleep anytime soon” Murdoc again muscled his way in, spilling dribbles of beer as he held the can up to toast. There was no clinking with paper cups, but instead a murmur of agreement.  
“To not getting murdered in our sleep!”

—————————————————————————

Things began the steady downward slump when Felix opened the second bottle of wine. He told himself it was Saul’s unexpected appearance on the back porch, but it was really him getting himself wine drunk. Nephra could see it coming with the rosy hue to his cheeks and the way his chin migrated to his hand, propping it up sleepily.  
Murdoc also seemed intent on inebriation, content to down a bottle of Sophia’s rum on his own. Whiskey seemed next on the agenda, but Elmar had plans to snatch up what could. He could sell it to someone for cheap. 

Nephra spent a good half hour trying to convince October to come out from under the table, but eventually gave up in that endeavor. Kyrian seemed to have better luck, and the two migrated to sitting on the stairs once the music came on.  
Sophia had come prepared with Christmas songs only to get significant backlash from Saul, who insisted it was Thanksgiving, damnit! Murdoc then took the reigns with the music then, classic rock making the shop shake a little. The music became louder and the energy followed, and it all came to a peak with the sound of shattering glass on the back porch.  
Murdoc jumped to his feet at the sound of Nephra’s wild screeching. 

The small yard was pitch black, but it was hard to miss the sight of Saul pinned to the dirt with Nephra in top of him, clinging to his thrashing form like a bull rider. If the rate at which she was swinging her free hand was any indicator, the kid was furious and intent on making sure the bastard knew. Saul, of course, was tangled in a half-laugh half-grimace, trying his best to reach for the shattered pieces of a wine glass broken in the grass. “What the hell is this for?!”  
Nephra didn’t answer, but rather delivered a solid wallop on the side of his greasy head. It was a formless, sloppy swipe, but it struck nonetheless.  
Murdoc stood still for a moment, head tilted to one side to better watch her form.  
“Again?!” Felix’s voice chimed from behind him.  
Murdoc shook his head, his laugh more a quick bark.  
“Brujahs, huh?” 

Before anyone could move, a streak of movement whizzed past the two men, making the ghoul mage cry out. “Jupiter’s Asshole!”  
October had joined the fray, colliding with Nephra and joining her assault on Saul. It was clear he didn’t have any plan of attack, but swooped in with the primal desire to make someone catch these hands. Saul’s eyes bugged out of his head, and he gave a strong kick with his legs to try and buck the attackers off his torso. It almost worked, and it would have been successful had he be given the chance for a second attempt… but in the blink of an eye a third had joined the onslaught. 

Kyrian stood over him, his grin enormous.  
There was no punching or kicking or screaming, just him stretching his arms wide like he was about to envelop them all in a hug right before he tipped forward and fell onto the pile of angry kindred. He collided with them like a bowling ball flying through pins, and Saul let out a yell that sounded painfully muffled. “What the FUCK?”  
Kyrian didn’t move, just laid stock still like he’d falling into torpor. Nephra’s screech hurt Murdoc’s ears.  
“FeLIx HEl p!”  
Shuffling over, Felix assessed the pile like one might pour over a particularly convoluted math problem, and then plopped his weight on top of Kyrian’s.  
They all struggled, some working to keep the others pinned while they tried to push away, a bloodthirsty mass of family bonding.  
“YOu STu P iD AssHOLEs!” Saul croaked. October hissed, sounding like a broken sprinkler.  
“BEtraYaL!! BeTRaYAL!!” Nephra wailed like a banshee from beneath Felix’s left asscheek. Felix himself had begun to cackle in ernest. “THE SACRIFICIAL ALTAR HAS BEEN LAID BARE! A HERALD OF GEHENNA, BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER LIKE CAIN AND ABEL BEFORE US!” He held his arms out like a song-and-dance preacher, laughing tears running down his cheeks as he bounced with force of Kyrian’s belly laughs below him. He had no clue what he was saying, but it was beyond amusing.  
“CHAOS! CHAOS! CHAOS!”

BANG! 

All movement stopped, and silence fell over the yard.  
Murdoc’s face was still, but his eyes shining with mischief as he held his gun up into the sky.  
“How very rude of you all to assume I wouldn’t get the last word!” He growled before cannonballing into the writhing mass, causing the entirety of the party to scream out. 

Elmar stood in the doorway, running a hand wordlessly over his head as he watched the carnage.  
“Aaaaaah well, i guess this is as uh...wholesome.. as we can get.”


End file.
